


Blast from the Past 6: Centuries

by louisethatcher5



Series: Blast from the Past [8]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Drama, Family Drama, Romance, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:55:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29383089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisethatcher5/pseuds/louisethatcher5
Summary: Book 6 of the Blast from the Past series (other 5 books are on my account so please read them before reading this book)It may be 19 years into the future, but that doesn't mean the Walker family get a break. Not only does both Jay and Nya have to protect Ninjago but they also now have to protect their children, who could be in serious danger from a returning villain.Just when everything seems to be going perfectly, everything begins to crumble to pieces once again.Will they ever get a break?But surely now that their biggest threat has gone, they have nothing to worry about, right?
Relationships: Ben and Cole, Cliff Gordon/Jay Walker's Mother, Nya/Jay Walker
Series: Blast from the Past [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157759
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Sunflower

**Author's Note:**

> This story is still ongoing so there will be regular updates

It was a brand new year in Ninjago, which meant brand new beginnings. It had been many _many_ years since the city had been in huge danger so everyone was safe and could continue with their everyday lives as if nothing ever happened. But for some people, it was definitely different to what it was before.

But since it was a new year, it also meant a new school term. The majority of stories were excited to see their friends and teachers again but, on the other hand, a lot of others just wanted to stay home. They obviously didn't get that option.

It also meant that new students were joining Ninjago High and more trouble would be caused. The bullies couldn't wait to get their hands on the newbies.

One of those newbies was none other than Iris Walker, daughter of ninja Jay and Nya, and younger sister of Luka Walker. She was nervous since she didn't know many people around as well as being home schooled all her life. Her parents had warned her about bullies but she assured them that she'd be just fine.

Her father had driven her to school on her first day to give her a little pep talk and remind her of the rules. (But mostly to wish her luck.)

"Just remember, if you make any friends, they have to be-" Jay began, pulling into the school parking lot.

"Good people, I know," Iris responded, a smile on her face.

Jay sighed, "Sorry, I'm just worried that's all."

"You don't need to be worried," She told him, "I'm gonna be okay."

"I know you are," He gave her a small smile, "Good luck, okay?"

She nodded and quickly hugged her father, "Thanks, dad."

"I'll be out doing a job for grandpa later so you'll probably have to walk home with Luka," He reminded her, "Also remember that if you need to be picked up at any time-"

She nodded and turned to him with a smile, "Then call you."

"Well I won't be here so..." He muttered, glancing at the steering wheel of his car.

"Then I'll call mom," She corrected.

Jay nodded and took a deep breath, "You got this, okay?"

"Thanks dad," She replied, getting out the car with her purple backpack, "Love you."

"Love you too," He said as she closed the car door and began wandering inside the school building.

The school was pretty large so it would be easy for her to get lost in there. Jay had held off letting his daughter go to a public school since there would be so many people there and she wasn't used to it. Especially with all the stuff that had happened with him in the past, he didn't want to risk her getting hurt. But Nya had managed to talk him into not worrying. At least not so much.

As soon as she entered the school, he began to drive off and out of the school site.

Iris opened the large glass doors, only to be greeted with the sound of loud chatting, laughing and multiple pairs of feet stomping on the ground. There were a lot more people around than she had seen in the movies. It also seemed a lot more chill. People weren't stood in little groups, waiting to judge the quieter students. They all seemed quite friendly. Even a few people glanced Iris' way and gave her a grin.

She'd only been there for at least 20 seconds and she already felt herself fitting in. Her first job was to make some friends, which shouldn't be that hard, right? But she also had to take into consideration what her father had told her.

_Only make friends with **good** people._

Jay had huge trust issues, especially with people he didn't even know, so to even think of his innocent daughter talking to complete strangers and giving away any major personal information made him shudder. But he also knew he had to trust _her_. And he did.

But how could she make friends if _everyone_ seemed like good people? How would she be able to tell if someone was a good person or not unless she became friends with them?

She headed over to the reception desk to the right of the main corridor and stood in line for a moment. She continued looking around at the large school, spotting all the posters for clubs and events. Not to mention the millions of lockers down the corridors branching off.

After waiting a few minutes, she finally got to the front of the line and got handed her locked keys, her class timetable and a map of the school. At least the receptionists weren't as horrible as they were in some of the high school romance movies she'd seen with Jay.

She began walking down the corridor that her locker was allocated to. She started to feel a little nervous as the looks of the other students didn't become so friendly anymore. Some people even looked disgusted to see her. And she couldn't lie; it made her feel uncomfortable.

But after searching for at least 5 minutes, wandering up and down the corridor like a lost puppy, she still couldn't find her darn locker. She felt like she'd been searching forever. If only Luka was around to help but he always had football practice before school so the only place he'd be right now was the football field.

She stopped in the middle of the corridor, and glanced down at her map. She still couldn't find the locker and it was starting to stress her out.

"Hey," Someone spoke from behind.

She almost dropped her stuff as she wasn't expecting someone to actually speak to her. Not yet anyways. She quickly turned around to see a much taller boy with dark hair and wearing a dark blue jacket.

"H-hi," She stuttered, nervous.

"You new here?" He asked.

She gulped and nodded, "Y-yeah... Actually could you maybe... help me?"

"Help you with what?" He put a hand on his hip.

"I'm trying to find my locker," She stated, glancing back down at the map, "It's supposed to be down here somewhere but I can't seem to find it."

"Sure, let me take a look," He told her with a smile. He then stood a little closer to her and peered down at the map she was still holding. He gently took a hold of it.

"Yeah, it should be just..." He began, a grin forming on his face.

She glanced up at the boy with an innocent look in her eyes, which he couldn't resist of course. He then quickly pulled the map down, knocking both her and her numerous books onto the floor. Iris glanced up at him with a frown as he laughed. The other students in the corridor began to laugh too, some even pointing at her. She had never felt so humiliated before.

"W-Why would you do that?" She questioned.

"It's called a prank, dummy," He laughed in her face.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Someone called out from behind.

"Oh look who it is," The boy folded his arms.

Iris sat up on her knees and turned her head to see who had shouted. Her eyes instantly fixed on his and refused to look away. His hair was light brown with red tips and he had dark brown eyes. He wore all black as well as his nails painted a crimson red.

"It's freak-show, Elias," The boy laughed, which obviously angered him more.

"You have your entire life to be an idiot. Why not take a day off?" He replied, causing more of a fuss. The other students began to clap and cheer but Elias was having none of it.

"I was helping this little girl fit in," The boy told him, "Why don't you go back to whatever hole you climbed out of, you brat."

"If you've got a problem with me helping someone who you are obviously _bullying_ , then write it down on a piece of paper, fold it, and shove it up your a*s," Elias responded harshly, causing the other boy to shut his mouth quickly and wander back to his friends.

After a few moments, the other students in the corridor returned to what they were doing and Elias bent down to help Iris pick up her stuff.

"Sorry you had to deal with them," He told her.

She didn't take her eyes off him, a small smile creeping onto her face. She quickly snapped back to reality as he held out a hand for her to take.

"T-thanks," She replied shyly.

"I'm Elias, by the way," He stated with a smile.

She smiled back, staring at him dreamily again. She managed to keep her cool this time. She had never felt this way towards someone before. It was weird but she kinda liked it. His eyes, his muscular arms, _everything_ about him... it was just so... so... dreamy. She couldn't stop herself from looking away.

"And you are...?" He giggled nervously.

"Oh-" She coughed, returning back to reality _yet_ _again_ , "I'm Iris."

"That's a really cute name," He replied, smiling.

"Yeah, it means rainbow," She blushed a little.

"Cool," He responded, "What did you need help with?"

"Oh, I'm looking for my locker but I can't seem to find it anywhere," She handed him the map.

"What's your locker number?" He wondered, reading over the map in his hands.

"36."

He chuckled and handed the map back to her, "You're down the wrong corridor. You're supposed to be heading to the east side of the school, not the west."

"What?" She frowned, "Oh..."

"Don't worry, everyone gets it wrong on their first day," He laughed.

She felt a little embarrassed, her face heating up. She was probably as red as a tomato by now.

"Iris!" A voice shouted from behind.

"What's with everyone shouting behind me today?" Iris sighed, making Elias giggle.

She quickly turned around to see none other than her best friend, Naileia, heading her way. She sprinted towards her and pulled her into a tight hug, making both the girls giggle. Elias headed their way, stopping a few inches behind them, a confused look on his face.

"Jay told me you were starting soon, but I didn't think it would be today!" The dark-haired girl exclaimed.

"I thought he would've told you," Iris responded, letting go of the hug.

"I'm confused," Elias spoke up, catching both of their attention, "You two know each other?"

Naileia's face instantly fell as she spotted Elias. She looked a little uncomfortable. Naileia then glanced at Iris, who was staring at him dreamily _again_ and she quickly jumped in.

"Yeah, she's my dad's brother's daughter," Naileia stated, folding her arms.

"What?" Elias frowned.

"Her full name is Iris _Walker_ ," She stated.

A look of shock formed on Elias' face as he glanced down awkwardly.

"I don't think you want to be talking to _him_ , Iris," Naileia told the girl stood beside her.

Iris frowned, "Why not?"

"He's Elias _Smith_ ," She replied.

"So...?" She shrugged, waiting for an explanation.

"Jake Smith's son," Naileia told her.

Shock also formed on Iris' face as she glanced over at a very awkward-looking Elias.

"We should get you to class," Naileia dragged Iris away but it didn't stop her looking back over at him.

"Hey, I was enjoying spending some time with him," Iris complained.

"Um, didn't you hear what I just told you?" Naileia questioned, "He's the son of Jake Smith. Y'know, the guy who _murdered_ my father's entire family and then proceeded to do the same with both him and Cole?"

Iris sighed, "But he just seemed so sweet."

"And what would Jay say if he found out you liked his worst enemies son of all people?" Naileia asked.

"He'd be disappointed," She sighed.

"Exactly," Naileia replied, "You can like literally _any one els_ e, just not _him_."

"But not everyone is like their parents," Iris pointed out.

"I know but Elias was raised by Jake so there's a very small chance that he won't try to break your family again, especially now that you two go to the same school," Naileia explained.

"I hate that you're right," Iris groaned.

Just when she thought she had met the guy of her dreams, it turns out he's most likely a psycho, just like his father. This year was going to be _torture_. Elias was just so perfect. He was funny, adorable, handsome, and an overall great person (as of what she could see anyway) and to find out that he was the _one person_ she couldn't have eyes for really sucked. But when Elias had found out about who Iris truly was, he didn't look so comfortable with talking to her. So maybe there was still a chance for them.

But for now, Iris had to try and focus on her studies and making new friends. It was going to be a lot easier with Naileia being by her side but it would still be tough, especially with knowing that she was in the midst of many bullies and the children of her father's worst enemies.

Surely nothing would go wrong, right?

_Right?_


	2. Ciao Adios

Naileia walked Iris to her class and introduced her to the maths teacher. The whole class had arrived and were chatting whilst the teacher was setting up for her lesson.

Now that the school day had properly started, Iris had to admit, she was pretty nervous, especially now that she wasn't really in many classes with her best friend.

"Hey Miss Duffy, this is my best friend and technically niece, Iris," Naileia introduced her.

"Hi," The short-ginger haired woman took Iris' hand and shook it, "I'm Miss Duffy."

"Hi," Iris responded nervously.

"It's nice to have you here. I think you're going to fit in just perfectly," She smiled.

Having a nice teacher really put Iris at ease. She was worried about not getting on with her teachers but it was off to a good start. She just hoped the person she sat next to in class was nice too.

"And thank you, Naileia, for bringing her to her class. You may leave now," Miss Duffy told her kindly.

"See you later," Naileia gave her a quick hug before scurrying out of the class and down the hall.

"Don't worry, it's gonna be a chill lesson today, so nothing hard, okay?" She told Iris with a smile.

Iris nodded, glancing around the class, looking for an empty seat.

"You can go and sit on the table at the back. There should be a spare seat," She stated, pointing towards the back of the room.

Iris smiled and headed to her seat with all her books. She tried to avoid eye contact with the other students but the majority of them were too busy chatting to even notice her. She eventually got to the spare seat at the back of the class and her face instantly fell as she spotted who was sat in the seat beside it.

"Oh.." She sighed.

The boy glanced up, an awkward look on his face.

"Hey," He gave her a small smile.

"Hey Elias," She replied, putting her books on the table and placing her bag under the table.

"I'm guessing Miss Duffy made you sit here," He suggested.

She nodded awkwardly, sitting down next to him.

The two sat in silence for almost an hour, paying attention to the lesson. Iris felt pretty awkward but she still had that feeling inside of her which made her heart flutter. But she knew she had to stay away for her and her family's safety. It just wasn't worth risking all that pain again. But a part of her was telling her to get to know him. He didn't seem like such a bad person.

"Hey, could you help with this math equation?" Iris asked Elias, who was working on his work.

Elias glanced over at her with a small smile, "Sure."

He peered over her shoulder at the work and smiled, "You're using the wrong equation."

"Oh..." She sighed.

Elias picked up her pen and wrote the right equation in her book for her. She smiled at him briefly.

"Thanks," She told him.

"No problem," He replied.

They sat in silence again, Iris not being able to concentrate. All she could think about was her family's past with Elias' dad and how she didn't want that to get in the way of her becoming friends with him. There was so much to think about it and it was starting to stress her out.

"So..." Elias spoke up awkwardly, "How are your parents?"

Iris frowned and looked at him, "What?"

"Sorry, that came out wrong," He sighed, "I meant like... how is life treating them?"

Iris raised an eyebrow, slightly worried about the questions he was asking about her _parents_ of all people.

"I'm really not good at phrasing sentences..." He giggled a little, "I just mean like... how are they doing after all these years?"

Iris glanced down at her work for a moment, "They're... good, I think."

She refused to tell him much about her family since his father had tried to kill them all. She didn't know if she could trust him, but at least he was trying to be friendly and caring.

"Look, I know our families pasts aren't... um... the best... but that doesn't stop us from being friends, right?" Elias wondered, "You're a really cool person and I'd love to get to know you more."

"Elias... I dunno... my dad, he'd-" Iris sighed.

"He wouldn't approve of it, I know. But we make up our own minds, right?" Elias told her, "I'm nothing like my dad. He is a horrible person, I know that. But so is your grandfather and your dad didn't end up like him, did he?"

"Excuse me?" Iris frowned, a look of disgust on her face, "My grandpa is not a bad person. He may have done some bad things but he's made up for it. You don't have _any_ right to say that about him, especially considering your _dad_ tried to _kill_ my entire family and didn't even try to apologise for it."

Elias sighed and peered down at the table, realising he was pretty stupid for saying what he had said.

"Sorry, I-" He stopped himself, "I don't blame you or your family for hating me, but I just want to prove that I'm not a bad person like my dad. I want to be able to make friends without the past affecting it."

"Yeah, I get that," She spoke awkwardly, "My dad spent so long thinking that he was gonna be just like his father and thinking that everyone blamed him for it but all along he was just _him_."

Elias didn't seem anything like Jake, which made her feel more comfortable around him. He did seem like a kind and sweet person so why was Naileia trying to warn her? Was it just because of his family? Was he being judged because of who his father was? Iris didn't see how that was fair. Maybe there was good in him. She could see it.

"I just want to be able to make friends for once," Elias sighed, "Please, you have to understand that I don't want to hurt anyone."

Iris nodded with a smile, "I do."

She caught herself staring into his eyes again, losing her train of thought. Elias smiled, making her snap back into reality. They worked on their work together and chatted for the rest of the lesson, getting to know each other. And it seemed Iris was right; he was just another ordinary teenager like her. He was cool, funny and really kind, just like how she had imagined.

After class, she headed out to see Naileia waiting for her. Elias decided to stay behind to ask the teacher about one of the harder questions in an upcoming exam. She couldn't wait to tell Naileia all about their conversations and how Elias isn't as bad as everyone makes him out to be.

"So how did you first lesson go?" Naileia told her, wrapping her arm around her shoulder as they wandered down the corridor together.

"Like a dream," Iris sighed dreamily, resting her head on Naileia's shoulder.

"Oh so you've found someone else to crush on then," Naileia laughed.

"Not exactly..." Iris replied awkwardly.

Naileia stepped back, stopping in the middle of the corridor, "Don't tell me..."

"We're sat next to each other for maths," She smiled.

"You didn't talk to him though, right?" Naileia questioned.

"We talked for what felt like forever," Iris replied.

"Iris, no!" Naileia groaned, "He's a bad person, remember?"

"Um, correction, his _father_ is a bad person. You barely know Elias. He's really sweet and all he wants is to be able to prove to people that he isn't bad," She explained.

"Yeah so that he can get close to you and your family and hurt them all, just like Jake did," Naileia sighed, "I thought you were better than this."

"I am, Nai. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Iris smiled and continued wandering down the corridor.

Naileia loved her to pieces but sometimes she questioned her sanity. Was she really going to become friends with the son of a psycho killer? This was sure to end badly and Naileia had to fix things before it got worse.

After school, Naileia offered to walk home with Iris since Luka left school early. They wandered through the streets and parks of the city, all the way to the village where they lived. Naileia and Iris' families were practically neighbours. They lived a few doors down from each other so keeping contact wasn't exactly hard.

When they arrived home, Iris invited Naileia inside, where Nya was in the kitchen with Luka, making dinner.

"Hey mom, I'm home," Iris smiled as she wandered into the room, Naileia following close behind.

"I was wondering where you had gotten to," Nya smiled at her daughter, "Hey Naileia."

"Hi Nya," Naileia threw her school bag on the kitchen table, almost hitting Luke.

"Oi, watch it," He playfully glared at her.

"Or what?" Naileia grinned, making her way to the kitchen area with her best friend.

"How did school go today, hun?" Nya wondered, cutting up vegetables.

Iris sat down at the counter and placed her head in her hand, "Great..."

"She met the _guy of her dreams_ ," Naileia rolled her eyes.

"You met someone?" Nya put the knife down and leaned forward, a look of intrigue on her face, "Who?"

"What's his name?" The black-haired boy spoke from the table.

"Elias," She sighed.

Luka got up from the table and made his way over with a frown on his face, "Elias...?"

"Elias Smith," Naileia told him.

"Oh..." Luka spoke awkwardly, "Um... you do know who he is, Iris, right?"

"Yes," Iris groaned.

"Am I missing something here?" Nya frowned.

"Elias is the son of Jake," Luka told his mother.

"Jake? Like.. Jake _Smith_?" She questioned.

Naileia and Luka both nodded, Iris went back to dreamily thinking of him.

"Um, hun, you can't like you, y'know," Nya told her daughter, bringing her back to reality.

"I know," She sighed, "But he's just so... perfect."

"If your father founds out about this, he'll-" Nya began.

"Probably disown me?" Iris finished.

"Iris," Nya sighed, "Please promise me you'll stay away from him."

"Um, that's a little hard considering they sit next to each other in math class," Naileia brought up.

"He's a really sweet person," Iris told them, "He's nothing like Jake."

"You've never even met Jake," Luke pointed out.

Iris sighed, "I know but..."

"Hey, hey, hey," Cole's voice came from another room.

"You can't say anything to him," Naileia whispered to Iris.

Cole opened the door to the room and wandered in, spotting Naileia.

"Hey, I thought I'd find you here," Cole ruffled his daughter's hair.

"Of course," She smiled.

"Hey," Cole greeted Nya, who smiled back at him.

The room was quiet, Iris watching as her mother cut the vegetables. Naileia and Luka exchanged awkward looks.

"Did I interrupt something?" Cole questioned, glancing around at all of their reactions.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Ben wandered into the room but instantly stopped in the doorway, noticing how quiet it was.

"Well its not usually _this_ quiet when I walk in," Ben stated loudly, catching everyone's attention.

Cole shrugged, "I dunno but I think I interrupted something."

Luka opened his mouth to say something but Naileia quickly slapped him on the arm.

"OW!" Luka exclaimed, making both Iris and Nya jump.

"No shouting inside the house," Nya told him sternly.

"She slapped me!" Luka shouted.

"No shouting," Nya repeated.

"Why'd you slap him?" Cole asked his daughter.

"To make him shut up," Naileia responded, glaring at Luka.

"Oh yeah, Iris has a crush on Jake Smith's son by the way," Luka spoke up, deliberately trying to annoy Naileia.

Naileia slapped him on the arm again, causing Nya to glare at her son. Iris instantly turned around on her chair, innocently smiling at both Cole and Ben, who looked shocked.

"Are you being serious?" Ben questioned.

"He's nothing like Jake," Iris told him.

"No, you need to say _ciao adios_ and ignore him for the rest of eternity," Cole joked.

"Can you take this seriously, please?" Ben gave his husband a look of disgust.

"Yeah, sorry," He snickered a little.

"Jake _killed_ my entire family and you really think you can trust his _son_?" Ben questioned Iris.

"Well... not exactly... but-" Iris began.

"Hey, hey," Cole placed a hand on Ben's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Sorry, I just... I don't why you'd trust him," Ben sighed, "Jake hurt us all."

"I know and I'm weary of that. But what he was saying to me... he just wants people to see him as someone other than his horrible father. He just wants to live his life like a normal person and make friends," Iris stated.

"And what if he's trying to trick you?" Ben wondered, "What if you let him in and tell him all of our secrets and then he and his father will ruin all our lives again? Then what?"

Iris glanced down at her hands, "I dunno... I just want to see the best in people."

Ben sighed, "Just please keep him and his father away from me and from Cole and Naileia. I don't want my family to get hurt."

Iris nodded, understanding why Ben was acting this way. She knew that if he found out, he wouldn't react the best to it. She knew what she was risking but she was willing to make a new friend. And possibly a future partner too. But for now, they had to take it one step at a time.

She just had to make sure Jay never found out.


	3. Leave a Light On

It had just turned 11pm when the front door opened and a loud sigh was heard from the hall. Nya sat up on the sofa, prepared for the amount of venting he would do (most likely). Within a few minutes, the door to the main room swung open and a very soggy master of lightning wandered in. Nya glanced up at him with a smile, which he barely returned.

"Hey, how did it go?" She asked him.

He sighed and shrugged, "Okay I suppose."

"How's Cliff?" She wondered.

Jay sat down beside her on the sofa and glanced down at his hands, "Good, I think..."

Nya gave him a look of reassurance, obviously knowing things weren't as okay as he said they were. The Gordon family were dealing with a lot of stress right now and both Jay and Cole had been dragged into the situation, but only because they felt as if they _needed_ to help, not because they were begged.

"And your mom?" Nya asked wearily.

Jay stayed silent for a moment. He didn't know what to say let alone even want to think about it. He'd had so many sleepless nights and Nya didn't want to make things worse but she also knew that asking him would also somehow make him feel better knowing that someone was by his side.

"Uh... I dunno..." He muttered.

Nya placed a hand on his shoulder as he glanced up at her with a small smile to let her know he was okay.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked softly.

He shrugged, "It's nothing bad, at least not yet."

"Well is there anything that you _do_ know as of right now?" Nya questioned him.

He nodded, "Yeah, actually dad did say that mom has began treatment at the hospital."

"That's great!" Nya smiled.

"We don't know if it's gonna work yet though. We have to wait for at least a few weeks to find out," Jay responded.

"And I'm sure it will work," She reassured him.

Jay sighed, "I don't know, Nya... what if it doesn't?"

"You don't need to worry about that right now, okay?" She told him, "Just spend as much time with her as possible."

"I know but... this family has never been the luckiest, has it? I won't be surprised if the treatment doesn't work," Jay stared at his hands awkwardly.

"Look, I know things haven't been great for you since you lost Ed and Edna but you have to at least have some hope, Jay. These negative vibes aren't good for you and they definitely aren't good for the kids," She replied, "And even if the treatment doesn't work, the doctors will try everything they possibly can. You've got nothing to worry about, I promise."

Jay sighed and nodded, "Yeah, you're right... I'm sorry..."

Nya's husband placed his head in his hands, trying to control his emotions. Ever since everything with Nadakhan happened all those years ago, he'd never been able to control his emotions, especially with his mental health. Depression still wasn't being the best to him and Nya knew he was still suffering, as did Luka and Iris, but they were all there for him no matter what he was so grateful. He'd sometimes have counselling sessions with Jessie but not all that often anymore.

"It's okay love," Nya pulled him into a tight hug.

Jay held on tight to his wife, feeling nothing but heartbreak and pain. He missed his parents so much and to find out he could lose Libber at any moment too hurt so much more. He'd already lost so much, he couldn't bare lose any more. But at least he had his wife and children there with him every step of the way.

A few minutes passed and Jay finally pulled away from the hug, feeling a little refreshed.

"So, how did Iris do today? Did she say anything?" Jay asked with a nervous smile.

Nya automatically froze. From what she heard, Iris _did_ have a good day, but there was one tiny detail that ruined it all and Jay definitely wouldn't be happy with it. As much as she wanted to tell Jay the truth and not keep secrets from him, she had no choice but to lie. He couldn't know about Elias. He couldn't know about Iris' crush on him either. It would only make matters worse for both Iris _and_ Jay. He was under a lot of stress right now and he didn't need this on top. If there were any problems, Nya could deal with it, right? Jay had enough on his plate already.

"Uh... yeah, it went well I think," She fake smiled.

"Oh," Jay breathed a sigh of relief, "That's great. Did she make any new friends?"

"Umm... a few, yeah," She nodded, "Naileia was there with her too to.. um.. make sure she made good decisions."

"Oh, right, I forgot Naileia goes there too," Jay giggled a little, "Knowing that Iris is in safe hands and out of trouble honestly puts me at ease."

"Yeah.." Nya responded awkwardly, trying not to make her lying too obvious.

She felt so bad for lying to him but surely she was doing the right thing, right?

"I just hope I'm doing a good thing by all these rules... I know that it isn't really fair on her but... I have to put her safety first," Jay looked at his wife, "Do you think I'm doing it right or...?"

"Of course you are," She smiled, "But you don't need to be so worried about her. She's 15 now and she knows what to do."

"I know," Jay sighed, "I'm just worried, that's all. After everything that happened to us, I don't want the same to happen to her or Luka. I mean, I'm more worried for Iris though... Luka knows how to control his powers; you taught him well. He's also older and he knows better but... Iris doesn't... And she barely knows how to control her powers."

"And you're doing a good job at helping her," She responded.

"I dunno... I've been trying for so long and I've tried everything but nothing seems to be working," Jay shrugged.

"You've just gotta be patient, that's all," She gave him a smile of reassurance.

"Okay, _Master Wu_ ," Jay laughed.

Nya chuckled, "I'm not _that_ old."

Jay glanced down at his hands for a moment, collected himself and looked back up at her with a nervous look. She frowned.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah... I just wanted to ask... how are _you_ doing?" He wondered, "You've been asking me that quite a lot lately and I feel like I need to ask you just as much too."

She smiled, "You don't need to worry about me."

"Are you sure? I, uh, saw you looking at that picture the other night..." He muttered quietly.

"Oh... you mean the picture of me and Kai?" She sighed, "Yeah, I was just thinking that's all... I've missed him quite a lot recently but... I'm okay."

"You know you can always talk to me about anything, right?" He asked.

She smiled, "You are a true angel, Jay."

Jay returned the smile and pulled her in for another hug, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

She laughed a little, "I love you, my Jay bird."

Meanwhile, a few houses down the road, the Miller family was getting ready for bed. They had just finished up drinking their hot cocoa and watching an episode of their favourite show and were now just about to go to sleep.

"Just remember who you're challenging next time," Cole called out.

"Don't act like I didn't beat you," Naileia shouted from another room.

The master of earth wandered into the kitchen laughing. Ben was sat at the counter, thinking hard about something. Cole didn't even notice at first.

Naileia soon walked into the room after him, also laughing.

"But I did though," Cole chuckled, "I'm the _master of earth_ , what did you expect to happen? I literally have super strength, or did you forget that?"

"There's one thing you have to learn when you offer to do an arm wrestle with someone, Cole, and that's that you can't act like a sore loser when you _lose_ ," Naileia responded sassily.

"I didn't lose though!" Cole laughed, "I think you should take your own advice."

"Nai, can I speak to you for a sec, please?" Ben spoke up, catching both of their attention.

"Oh, uh, yeah sure," Naileia calmed herself down and directed her full attention to Ben. Cole stood on the other side of the room, pretending not to listen in on their conversation.

"Nai, why didn't you tell me you're going to school with Jake's son?" Ben looked up at her with a stern expression.

"I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd get upset and-" She began.

"Of course I'd get upset! Don't you remember what Jake did to our _entire_ family?!" Ben exclaimed, "He _murdered_ my parents _and_ my sister and tried to do the same to both me and Cole too and you really thought going to school with his f*cking son was a good idea?! You really thought it was a good idea to not tell me something like that?!"

"Dad, I'm sorry, I-" She started but was cut off.

"I cannot believe you right now," Ben placed his head in his hands for a moment, trying to control his anger.

"I always stayed away from him and he always stayed clear of me too," She told him.

"THAT DOESN'T MATTER!" Ben shouted.

Cole glanced over to see Ben's eyes beginning to turn an orangey colour. He was already worried about the conversation escalating - and he, of course, knew Ben would never would never do anything to hurt her - but he just needed to step in now before it really did become something worse.

"Okay guys, that's enough," Cole stepped in between the two. Ben placed his head on the table, huffing.

Cole turned to Naileia and signalled her off to bed, which she did. As soon as she went into her room, Cole turned to his husband and took his hand.

"Hey, just take deep breaths, okay?" Cole told him softly, sitting down at the table opposite him.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Cole," Ben cried, not lifting his head up.

Cole felt his heart sink. He knew Ben had it rough, especially with losing his family but it just hurt so much more knowing he used to trust the person who hurt him the most. Jake was his friend. Jake helped him, especially on the Wailing Alps, and to know that he had destroyed his _entire_ _life_ without even knowing broke him to pieces. Even after Ben turned good, Jake still pretended to be his friend and hurt those he loved anyway. And yet the boy still had the audacity to think Ben would ever love him. It wasn't fair. No part of it was fair.

"It's okay, it's okay," Cole whispered, trying to calm him.

They stayed there for a few minutes, Cole gently rubbed circles over his hand, hoping he'd be better soon.

"I just wish someone understood," Ben lifted his head, revealing his bright green eyes once again. He tried his best to stop himself from crying yet it was just so hard.

Cole raised a hand to his husband's face and cupped his cheek, giving him a small smile of reassurance.

"No one will ever understand what you went through, and I'm not going to pretend like I do, but you are one of the strongest people I know and I know that you can get through it. Naileia meant well; she didn't want to hurt you, and, yeah, I agree she didn't do it the right way, but she'll learn. It's the thought that counts, right?" Cole told him calmly, "But as long as you have me, Naileia and the rest of the family, which is _your_ family too, then everything will be okay, I promise."

"Thank you, baby, I love you," Ben gave him a small smile.

"I love you more," Cole leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

They both then got up and walked around the table, pulling each other into a tight hug. They didn't want to let go.

They had both been through so much, especially ever since the beginning and it was a miracle that they were still together.


	4. House of Memories

The next day, Naileia and Iris decided to walk to school with Cole and Nya. Ben was on a mission with Jessie and Hayley whilst Jay was helping Cliff out again. 

It was a bright sunny morning and it was perfect for a nice walk, and for a good chat too.

"Ben will understand that soon, don't worry Nai, but you do have to remember that family put him through hell," Cole spoke.

"I know..." Naileia sighed.

"If that was how Ben reacted then imagine how dad will react," Iris turned to Nya.

Nya placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "And he's not going to find out, at least not right now. He's going through a lot with grandma and grandpa at the moment, he doesn't need anymore stress on top of it, okay?"

Iris nodded, "I feel bad keeping it from him."

"And so do I, but as long as he doesn't have to worry about you or Luka, he'll feel a little better," Nya told her.

Naileia smiled, "And in the meantime, _someone_ has to stay away from Elias."

Iris shot her a look, "That's a little hard to do considering we sit next to each other in math class."

"You can easily ignore him," Naileia shrugged.

"Well as long as we don't have to lay our eyes on _you-know-who_ then we're all good," Cole cut in, "I think I'd rather live the rest of my life without having to look at Jake and his son."

Iris sighed, "He seems sweet though."

"A lot of people seem sweet at first and then they trick you time and time again," Nya replied.

"I feel like you're trying to hint at something," Cole glared at her slightly.

"You know I have a point. And, yeah, sometimes people change in the end. Take Ben for example. He managed to change everything around, right?" Nya continued.

"But Ben didn't actually kill anyone. Jake killed how many? Lila, Ben's mom _and_ dad, Ben, Skylor, Edna, I'm pretty sure he killed Cliff too," Cole told her.

"Technically he didn't kill Ben, Cliff, Edna _or_ Skylor considering they all ended up alive in the end," Nya shrugged.

"Yeah, _in the end_. We all believed they were dead for _months,_ " Cole responded harshly, "Ben is _nothing_ compared to Jake. Jake is a bad person, Ben isn't."

"That's not what I'm trying to get at," Nya sighed, "I'm just saying that even though people may seem all innocent at first, there's no evidence showing that they really are good."

"But there's no evidence suggesting he's bad either," Iris spoke up, "Except for who his father is. I just don't find that fair."

As the four approached the school, both Nya and Cole became weary of who was around. They didn't want to run the risk of bumping into someone they knew, especially someone bad. 

"Well, _hopefully_ , today you two will have a better day," Cole told the younger two. 

"I think you spoke too soon," Naileia replied awkwardly, directing their attention to the person who was wandering their way.

"Hi," The boy smiled.

"Hey Elias," Iris beamed.

Nya coughed awkwardly, catching Cole's attention.

"Well, we'll be going then," Cole tapped Naileia on the shoulder gently before turning around to walk away.

"It was nice meeting you," Elias called out to them, "Um.. kinda..."

"Just stay away from my family," Nya warned him before walking back the way they'd come from with Cole.

Elias felt a little awkward as Naileia gave him a nasty look and dragged Iris away. 

He didn't want to be judged by people anymore, he was sick of it. And he was determined to make things right.

Later that evening, Luka and Iris returned home, with Naileia joining them obviously. The rest of the family was there, well more like those who were able to attend, for their weekly Wednesday night dinner. Nya and Maya always cooked together and it was _always_ delicious. Jay, Cliff and Cole would usually sit in the corner telling jokes whilst the kids set the table but some things had changed since the good old days.

Now, Ray, Lou and Cliff had set the table whilst Hayley, Cole and Ben sat in the corner chatting. The three wandered into the room, directing all the attention onto them.

"Naileia!" Lou exclaimed, rushing over to her to give her a hug.

"Hey Grandpa Lou," Naileia managed to spit out before being crushed by his tight hug.

Cliff got up and headed over to his grandchildren, instantly giving them a hug.

"Hi grandpa," Luke smiled, "How have you been?"

"I'm good, but don't worry about me, okay?" Cliff gave him a smile of reassurance.

Iris walked straight over to the kitchen and sat down at the counter, opposite to where her mother and grandmother were cooking.

"How did school go today?" Nya asked her daughter.

"Pretty good," She shrugged, "But maths was torture."

"Great," Nya smiled.

"Why is that great?" Maya frowned.

"Trust me, she shouldn't be happy in math class," Nya chuckled.

Iris slumped down in her chair, a sad look on her face, "I'm just saying it's really unfair."

"And I'm just saying I'm your mother so you have to do as I say," Nya leaned over and kissed her daughter on the head quickly with a grin. 

Iris groaned as she got up and wandered around the table to help her mother with the cooking. 

On the other side of the room, everyone else was sat around the dinner table already, chatting about their ordinary lives. Cliff wasn't very talkative as he didn't have much to say but Jay definitely filled in his spot.

"So when will we get to meet this girlfriend of yours, Hayles?" Jay leaned forward towards his sister.

"Never if you keep going on about it," She laughed, "And she's really busy, especially as of recently."

"What did you say she was again?" Ben asked after taking a sip of his glass of water.

"A surgeon," She responded.

"And how did a girl like you end up with a _surgeon_?" Cole teased his twin. 

"By being myself," She shrugged, "I dunno, something just clicked between us when we first met."

"So she isn't some psychopathic escape criminal that you're trying to hide in an apartment that actually _does_ turn out to be your girlfriend in the end?" Jay questioned.

"Ha ha, very funny," Cole glared at the lightning ninja.

"Just had to clarify," Jay smirked.

"What?" Ray frowned.

"Don't ask," Ben muttered.

"Not this time," Hayley laughed, "She's very much my _real_ girlfriend."

"What's her name?" Cliff wondered.

"I told you last week," Hayley rolled her eyes.

"He's old; he's got a terrible memory," Luke whispered to her.

"I may be old but I'm not deaf," Cliff shot his grandson a look.

For the rest of the evening, everyone chatted, ate, and watched Star Farer in the main room, which of course made Cliff cringe a little.

"I never get bored of this movie," Luka stated to his father.

"Yes, it's definitely..." Ray muttered, "Interesting..."

"It's been a long and stressful week and I think we all deserve a break," Jay spoke up, sitting forward, "How about we all go to the mall or something tomorrow?"

"I can't for...uh...obvious reasons," Cliff shrugged.

"We've gotta look after the shop," Ray replied, Maya nodded.

"I've got a pretty important case to deal with tomorrow," Hayley patted Jay on the back, "Sorry bro."

Jay sighed, "Anyone else have plans?"

"We don't," Cole spoke up, glancing at his husband.

"Great!" Jay beamed.

"But what about school?" Iris questioned.

"Then we'll go after school obviously," Jay rolled his eyes.

"I'll come as long as I can get that video game I've been asking for for _months_ ," Luka smirked.

Jay groaned, "Fine, I'll get it for you."

"Thanks dad, you're the best," Luka smiled before leaving the room to go to the kitchen. 

Nya sighed, "I would come, hun, but I can't. I have to wait for a parcel that's coming tomorrow afternoon."

"Well we can still go," Cole shrugged, "We don't need Nya to have fun."

Jay smiled, "That's right."

Hopefully the family could have some fun for once and let lose. They really deserved the break. Nothing could go wrong with just a simple trip to the mall. Right?


	5. It's You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just came to warn that there will be mentions of suicide in this chapter (not spoilers I promise) so um you have been warned. 

The next day, Nya invited Skylor over to hang out whilst Jay, Ben, Cole, and the kids all went to the mall. She was stuck at home waiting for a parcel so it only seemed right that she had some company with her. Skylor was her best friend and she helped Nya when she was going through a tough time with losing Kai and _both_ of her pregnancies.

"It must be annoying living with two boys and then having the other two coming round constantly," Skylor stated, sat at the kitchen counter.

Nya smiled, "Not really. It's quite entertaining sometimes. They constantly play pranks on each other."

"Sounds chaotic," Skylor chuckled.

"Yeah, but I knew what I was getting myself into when I married into a chaotic family," Nya responded.

"Do you ever wonder what life would be like if Jay had... _y'know_ ," Skylor questioned.

Nya knew exactly what she was talking about and she hated to think about it, but now that it was brought up, she'd never dreamt of another life. She'd never even dreamt of things ending differently. 

That day was chaos. And not the good kind.

_"Move out of my way," Jay told his brother with a groan._

_"Not until you put the gun down," Cole responded._

_"I'm not going to do that," Jay replied._

_"Don't hurt him, okay? It's not worth it," Cole reassured him._

_"What, so you'd rather me do it to myself, huh?!" Jay cried, raising the gun to the left side of his head._

_"Jay!" Multiple shouts were heard from the room, everyone worried about what he was possibly about to do._

_What was he doing? After everything he'd been through, Cole had to see he saw it coming but wasn't prepared for it. He was worried for his brother and now... now he was terrified. He couldn't see him do this. He'd never forgive himself._

_"Jay-" Cole panicked, "Jay, put the gun down. Please, just put the gun down."_

_"Or what?" Jay questioned, even more tears falling, "Y-You won't be my brother anymore? Is that it? Why does it matter if I do it or not?! It's not like you'd miss me. I deserve it, don't I? I've hurt so many people. I'm a bad person, Cole! I DESERVE TO DIE!"_

_"No you don't!" Cole cried back._

That year had been so tough. Jay's head was a mess. Jay and Nya had gotten married, Ben returned only to be evil again, Jay found out the truth behind Nya's pregnancy, Jay turned evil and Cliff returned. Everything turned out just fine in the end, with help from Cliff of course because he was the true hero of the story. 

But Nya knew that it would take a very long time for things to be back to normal. Jay had tried to take his own life. And she soon learnt that it wasn't the first time. Jay was broken and there was even the possibility that he'd give up in the future once and for all, but Nya still loved him and made sure he knew that. And now look where they were.

There was a time when she thought Jay wouldn't even want kids. He was worried at first but soon enough he got used to it and he loved his children so, _so_ much. But things still weren't getting better. He'd still have nightmares about everything that happened all those years ago. He'd still question why Nya was with him. He'd still get those horrible thoughts. He was most grateful to have his family there for him. 

"Y'know what... I don't want to think about that. Things are much different now, and much better. I wouldn't change it for the world," Nya replied.

"Fair enough," Skylor smiled.

At the mall, the group of six headed towards the comic book store, hoping to find the latest issue of Star Farer. Ben still wasn't feeling great, especially towards Naileia, after finding out about Elias but he was trying to put that aside for today. They all deserved to have some fun. They'd already been there for a few hours and it wasn't all that busy.

"So how is school going Iris?" Jay asked her with a smile.

She shrugged, "I dunno. It's alright I guess. I do have a school project I need to finish by next week but I don't know what to do."

"I'm great with school projects," Cole spoke up, "Hit me with it."

"We're supposed to make a presentation on mental health and how it effects people," She told him, "We're also have to use an example from the media to really get out point across."

"Well, I know it's not exactly from the media but you could always use my story as the example," Jay suggested.

"What? Really?" Iris smiled a little.

"Yeah," Jay nodded, "Just as long as you don't give away every single detail."

"Thanks dad," She beamed, "You're the best."

Jay's story was a tough one. He'd had so many low points in his life and he thought his life would come to an end sooner rather than later. Maybe sharing his story with children Iris' age will help to raise awareness. 

"Wait," Cole nudged Jay's arm, staring off into the distance.

"What is it?" Jay frowned.

"Is that...?" Cole trailed off, pointing in front of them.

The group of six stopped, confused. They all glanced at where Cole was pointing and spotted two males walking their direction. One was tall with brown hair and the other was pretty much the same but slightly shorter and red tips in their hair.

"...Jake?" Ben questioned, a panicked tone of voice.

As the two approached, they both smiled sweetly.

"Hi!" Jake beamed, "Fancy running into you here."

Ben's heart began to race. He quickly took hold of Cole's hand and squeezed it tight. Cole did the same, trying to calm him down a little. Jay didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. The other three just stood there awkward.

"You're supposed to be in Kryptarium," Cole stated, "Because... you know... you murdered three people; almost four."

"Yeah well they let me out early," He smiled, "I was a good boy apparently."

"Stay away from us," Jay told him sternly, his voice breaking a little.

"Please, I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm just living my life with my amazing son," Jake glanced at Elias for a brief moment, who gave him a smile.

"Who would want to marry _you_?" Luka spoke up, a disgusted look on his face.

"I see you have some children of your own then," Jake told Jay, glancing at the three.

"This one is ours," Cole placed a hand on Naileia's shoulder and briefly looking at Ben, who fake smiled.

"I'm happy for you all," Jake smiled innocently, "This is my son, Elias."

No one said anything for a moment, leaving an awkward silence. Iris avoided eye contact with Elias for, well, _obvious_ reasons.

"Also, I'm really sorry for what happened before. Hopefully we can move past it and still be friends," Jake grinned.

"You aren't coming anywhere near us," Jay replied sternly, "We don't need people like you in our lives."

"Fair enough," Jake sighed. He just wanted to make things right again. Maybe that would be harder than he thought. He did mess up pretty big to be honest.

"Hey Iris," Elias smiled.

Iris glanced up and muttered, "Hey..."

Jay frowned, "What? You know each other?"

Luka and Naileia looked away awkwardly as Cole and Ben exchanged looks of worry.

"Yeah we go to school together," Elias smiled, "We're friends."

Jay froze on the spot, staring his daughter in the eyes. He felt his heart drop, terror running through his veins.

"F-friends?" He struggled, his heart rate rising.

"Dad-" Iris began.

"We're going home," Jay began to march off back to the direction they had come from.

Iris sighed, glancing at Elias for a moment.

"Sorry," he mouthed to her as they all walked off into the distance.

The last thing any of them wanted was for Jay to find out. Ben finding out was bad enough and he was still mad at Naileia for that. 

This wasn't going to end well...


	6. Falling Apart

A few hours later, Ninjago was pretty quiet. Cole, Naileia and Ben returned home and as did the other three. Luka, however, ran on ahead to warn his mother and their guest.

He sprinted through the door and into the main room, catching both of their attention.

"Luka?" Nya frowned.

He was out of breath but managed to glance up and point at Skylor for a brief moment.

"You might wanna- _huff -_ leave whilst you- _huff -_ can," Luka warned her.

"What?" Nya raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Skylor questioned.

After managing to catch his breath he replied, "World War 3 is about to happen and I don't think you want to be here to witness it."

"What are you talking about?" Nya sounded confused.

"Dad found out about Elias," Luka sighed.

"Oh," Nya replied, a little panicked.

Skylor quickly gathered her stuff, "I shall make my great escape."

"Thanks for coming, Sky," Nya gave her a brief smile.

"No probs! Let me know how it goes," Skylor gave her a playful wink before leaving through the front door.

Luka headed over to the kitchen counter and stood beside his mother, waiting for the two to burst through the door, letting all hell break loose.

"How did he find out?" Nya wondered.

"We bumped into he and Jake in the mall and of course Elias had to open his big mouth," Luka rolled his eyes.

"Right..." Nya bit her lip.

She had to admit, she was really worried. They had all agreed to not let Jay find out for a reason. They all knew that if he found out about Elias even being in the same school as them, he would flip about it. Him finding out that Iris was 'friends' with their son's worst enemy would be so, _so_ much worse. It definitely wasn't going to end well.

Jay was like a flower. He was calm and pretty on the outside but on the inside he was complicated and stressed. There was so much going on in his head that sometimes he just couldn't cope. When he didn't get what he needed, like the love and appreciation he deserved, he would hide away, just like how a flower would die when it didn't get nutrients and water. Something like this would be enough to bring back all those bad memories that had made him do stupid things in the past. Something like this would be enough to make him question not only himself but how much his family and friends actually cared about him. 

She was so scared of something like this pushing him over the edge again. 

She was so scared of losing him again.

She was so scared of him getting hurt again. 

The sound of the front door opening and slamming closed made the two jump. Their heart rates raised, the worry building up inside them.

"Dad, please just let me explain-" Iris began as they both entered the room.

"What is there to explain?!" Jay exclaimed, trying to stay as calm as he could.

"Elias is different!" She responded quickly.

Jay spun around, facing his daughter, his eyes almost tearing up.

"How is he different?! What makes him so different?!" Jay shouted a little, "He was raised by _Jake,_ our worst enemy! He was bound to learn all about how _horrible_ and _unfair_ this family is and you really think Elias isn't going to believe that?!"

"No of course not, but-" Iris argued.

"There _are_ no buts! You made friends with our worst enemies son for what reason exactly? Because he says he's 'different'?" Jay questioned, "That only sounds like a trap to me. Don't you remember how Jake lured us in? Don't you remember how Jake pretended to be our friend and then tried to blow us all up?! Do you really think all those 'stories' me and your mom told you were all fake?!" 

"No, dad! It's just so unfair!" Iris exclaimed, "Elias is sweet and funny and kind! He's _nothing_ like Jake!" 

"You don't even know Jake! Jake is the worst human being I know! He killed Ben's _entire_ family and proceeded to do the same to both him and Cole! You really think he's going to raise a son with nice manners and how to treat a 'friend' correctly?" Jay frowned.

"Well... no..." She muttered.

"Exactly!" He exclaimed.

The anger boiled up inside of him. He couldn't describe how he felt. He couldn't feel anything but the _hatred_ he had for Jake's family. It made no sense to him that after all those years of telling the horrible stories of their past that Iris would betray her parents and become friends with someone like that. He didn't get why she would do it.

"But everyone deserves a chance to prove that they're good, right? Elias may have been raised by Jake but maybe he didn't agree with what he had done? Elias is a genuine person and he just seems so loveable," Iris tried to explain.

Jay laughed, "Seriously?" 

"Just listen to me," She told him, "Elias helped me on my first day. When the older students were bullying me in the corridor, he came to my rescue. He was my hero. And he even helped me in math class too."

"Wait, what?!" Jay exclaimed, a confused expression on his face, "You were bullied?!"

"I-" Iris quickly realised what she had said, "Dad..."

"I asked you if everything went okay and you didn't even tell me that?! You didn't tell me you got bullied?!" Jay shouted, "Why?!"

"I didn't want to worry you, that's all. Nothing has happened since, I promise," She responded quickly.

"Did you two know about this?" Jay questioned the other two people in the room.

Nya and Luka shook their heads, trying to keep as quiet as possible. The less they said, the less Jay would be hurt.

"Elias is such a sweet person and if you get to know him then-" Iris began again.

"Why the hell would I get to know him?!" Jay shouted, "After everything he did to my family-"

"I know, I know," Iris cut in, "Please just let me finish. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? And Elias hasn't even had a first chance. He's being judged by everyone just based on who his father is. He should get the chance to show that he isn't like Jake, which he _isn't._ It's just like he told me, you were given a chance after everyone found out what grandpa did."

Nya and Luka looked at each other with scared expressions, knowing what was coming. Jay's face filled with shock as his heart raced faster and faster. He felt dizzy and weak, like he couldn't stand on his legs anymore. But he couldn't move either. He was glued to the floor.

"Grandpa was a bad person and what he did to you was horrible but no one blamed you or thought you were just like him. You were given a chance, just like Elias should be. Elias deserves a chance too!" Iris explained.

"W-what?" Jay stuttered.

"Oh my..." Luka murmured.

"I'm right though, aren't I?" She told him.

"Are you being serious right now?" Jay questioned, his voice quiet and shaky.

"What?" She frowned.

Jay closed his eyes, counted to three and breathed out, "Go to your room."

Iris raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Just go to your room," Jay raised his voice a little.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" She exclaimed.

"IRIS GO TO YOUR ROOM," Jay shouted, feeling his heart crumble into breadcrumbs.

Iris huffed and stormed off, slamming her bedroom door.

Jay stood there for a moment, trying to calm down. He tried to find some sort positive in this situation but there just wasn't one. Was he dreaming? He wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole so badly. 

It was humiliating.

The panic in him grew and grew with every breath. The tension in him became stronger and his breathing became more rapid but harder. He tried to close his eyes and count to ten slowly, remembering what Nya had told him to do every time this happened. But he was finding it difficult. The hurricane blowing around in his mind was taking control and only making him more stressed. He felt his hands begin to shake out of his control and his throat grow tighter. 

"Jay? Are you okay?" Nya frowned, standing up properly.

He felt like he was going to blackout any minute. His head became dizzy again, his sight blurry. His heart was hammering in his chest. Without a second thought, he crouched down on the floor, trying to calm himself down.

"Jay?" Nya became more worried as she wandered around the counter and towards her husband. Luka frowned, also heading over.

The tears wouldn't stop falling. The salty taste in his mouth made him feel weaker and only made him feel worse.

"Dad?" Luka became panicked.

Nya crouched down in front of her husband, "Jay, are you okay?"

He struggled to speak. He could barely open his mouth.

"I-" He began, his throat closing up more with every breath.

"Slow down," She told him calmly.

"I-" He tried again, "I- I th-think I'm ha-having another p-p-panic attack."

His voice was so shaky and panicked. He was out of breath. Nya tried her best not to stress but she was just so scared for him. Luka glanced at his mom, worried.

"It's gonna be okay, just remember what I taught you, okay?" She placed a hand on his knee gently, "Deep breaths."

"I-I c-can't," he stuttered, more tears falling.

"Yes you can," She nodded, trying to make eye contact with him.

Jay shook his head a little, his breathing quickened again. 

"Do it with me, okay?" She told him, "Breathe in...."

Jay waited a moment, trying his best, and managed to breathe in, his heart still pounding and his mind still running.

"1...2...3..." She stated calmly, "And out..."

Jay followed what she was saying, nothing much changing. He didn't know what to do. He felt so dizzy and tired and just wanted to pass out. And even if he did, he wanted to never wake up.

"And in again...1...2...3..." She spoke softly, calming him a little.

She had dealt with many situations like this before. After getting Jay back all those years again after _finally_ killing Nadakhan once and for all, he'd had many panic attacks and much like this one too. The first few times were tricky and she was so panicked but after a bit of research and practice, she managed to nail it and calm him down pretty quickly. But every time was different and not every time was guaranteed to be easy. Sometimes they were small and sometimes they were big but she always followed the same steps and as did he. Most of the time he could calm himself down but this time he couldn't. It was too much for him.

"And out..." She breathed with him.

Jay's hands stopped shaking a little, his heart rate slowing down slightly.

It wasn't much but it was working.

"In...1...2...3," She instructed, "Out..."

The sound of Nya's calming voice really helped him. Even though he couldn't hear much because of the thoughts rushing around in his head, he could still hear her voice over the top of it all and it made him feel so safe. Having her there with him made everything seem so different. Without her, he'd be nowhere. He'd be _no one_.

"You're doing really well, Jay, just keep going, okay?" She told him with a reassuring smile.

The tears finally stopped falling as he continued breathing in and out with her, her hand reaching for his. He held it tight, not letting go. He managed to look up at her, locking eyes with her. The thumping of his heart slowed and he finally felt himself come back to normal.

It took a while but Nya was glad he was okay.

"Luka, go get a glass of water," She told her worried son. 

He nodded and quickly went into the kitchen to grab water for his father. 

"You okay?" She asked Jay.

As he continued to take deep breaths, he nodded and gave her a small smile. Even if it was fake, it still reassured her that he was alright.

"You did good, Jay," She smiled.

When he finally managed to calm down properly, he sighed and buried his head in his hands.

"I'm so sorry," he told them both, "I really am."

"You don't need to be sorry, dad," Luka kneeled down beside him, "You were brave."

"You didn't have to see that," he glanced up at his son.

He shrugged, "I'm just glad you're okay."

Jay gave him a smile. How did he end up with such a great son like him? He had two amazing children and a fantastic wife in his life and he had no idea what he did to deserve it. He was so incredibly lucky and he wouldn't change any of it for the world.

"Thank you," Jay smiled a little, " _both_."

They all waited a few moments before Jay decided to stand up. He didn't feel all that much better though. He felt more confused.

"Y'know what I find strange?" Jay frowned, "Throughout that entire argument, you didn't seem shocked. Not even about Elias."

Luka and Nya glanced at each other, hoping one of them would say something. But even after trying, they couldn't.

"You knew, didn't you?" Jay questioned, stepping back a little.

"Jay-" Nya began.

"I can't believe you," Jay snarled before leaving the room, opening the front door and walking out.

"Dad, wait!" Luka tried to run after him but was stopped by his mother.

"Leave him, Luka. He'll be okay. He just needs some time," She sighed.


End file.
